Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 188: A Noble’s Bath

"Y-yes, right away! I’ll have everything prepared immediately!" the maid stammered, hurriedly picking up the partially eaten tea set on a tray and leaving the room in a rush.

Compared to Theo’s estate, Caius’s home had a very different vibe. The atmosphere here felt more laid-back, the kind of place where working seemed less stressful. Damien idly thought about the contrast as he watched the maid disappear down the hall.

Once the sound of her footsteps faded, he turned his head to Caius. "Hey, don’t you think you were a bit harsh on her?"

"It’s fine," Caius replied dismissively. "They all look down on me anyway."

Damien hesitated, considering Caius’s words. It did seem like there was some truth to that, but Caius’s attitude might be part of the problem too. Still, Caius’s family dynamics were complicated, and Damien decided it wasn’t his place to dig deeper.

Caius’s room was surprisingly sleek, dominated by black tones and an understated design. It was far more stylish than Damien had expected. Then again, it could just be that Caius was at an age where he thought black was cool. After all, his entire wardrobe seemed to follow that theme.

"Hey, I’m going to take a bath," Caius called out, standing in front of a door in the corner of the room.

As Damien glanced around the unfamiliar space, he remembered Caius mentioning earlier that his room had a private bath, just like Damien’s did.

"Oh, okay. I’ll wait here, then," Damien replied casually.

"What are you talking about? You’re coming in with me," Caius said matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" Damien blinked in confusion.

As it turned out, Caius was apparently one of those nobles who relied on their servants for help even with changing clothes.

Helping Caius undress, Damien couldn’t help but wonder if this was just Caius’s way of trying out something new.

"It’s nice having a subordinate to do everything for you," Caius remarked with a smirk.

The way he said it, though, made Damien think this might be the first time Caius had experienced something like this. His earlier guess needed correction—Caius seemed genuinely delighted, almost playful, with every motion as Damien helped him undress.

Damien couldn’t help but notice how unbothered Caius was by the situation. If anything, he seemed to enjoy it. Definitely a noble through and through.

"Uh... your underwear too?" Damien asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Caius replied without a hint of embarrassment.

While Caius maintained an air of confidence, Damien couldn’t help but feel awkward as he carefully averted his gaze and removed the last piece of clothing.

"All right. Now you get undressed," Caius instructed, standing completely naked and waiting for Damien to do the same.

"R-right," Damien muttered, fumbling nervously with his clothes.

Although part of his hesitation came from the embarrassment of being naked in front of Caius, the real problem was the intricate outfit he was wearing. It was overly elaborate, adorned with an excessive number of buttons, ties, and frills, and Damien had no idea how to take it off properly.

"What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you can’t undress yourself," Caius said, sounding both surprised and amused.

Damien’s shoulders sagged with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Yeah... I guess I can’t."

As much as he hated to admit it, he was stuck.

"Hopeless little vassal," Caius muttered with a smirk. "Fine, just stand still."

In the end, Caius ended up helping Damien undress entirely.

Not long ago, Damien had assumed that Caius was the type who couldn’t change clothes by himself. Now, the roles had been completely reversed.

"Thanks," Damien said, feeling a little bit sheepish.

"I’m the boss, after all. Looking after my underling is part of the job," Caius replied smugly.

"Boss... I’ll follow you for life!" Damien joked, playing along.

"Good to hear!" Caius replied with mock seriousness.

They shared a laugh over the little skit. For all his bluster, Damien thought, Caius wasn’t such a bad kid. He was just a boy stuck with the wrong kind of adults around him, leaving him in a frustrating situation.

The thought made Damien wonder uneasily about Caius’s stepmother and grandfather. What kind of people were they?

He let the worry fade as Caius grabbed his hand and led him to the bathroom.

In the bath, Caius instructed Damien to wash him, so he obliged. To Damien’s surprise, Caius then insisted on returning the favor and washing Damien as well.

It was an embarrassing experience for Damien, but Caius seemed to be having so much fun that Damien decided to just let him enjoy it.

"This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this," Caius said with a wide grin.

Damien wasn’t sure what was stranger—his daily routine of having retainers wash him or Caius never experiencing it at all.

After the bath, Damien reached for the towels prepared for them. As he began drying himself, Caius stepped in front of him, arms and legs spread out like a starfish.

"Hey, dry me off," Caius said expectantly.

Clearly, Caius had no intention of drying himself. While it would obviously be more efficient if they each handled their own drying, Damien sighed and relented. The boy’s cheerful smile left him little choice.

Damien threw the towel over Caius’s head and playfully tousled his hair, drying it roughly.

"Hey, cut it out!" Caius protested with a laugh.

Ignoring him, Damien continued. "Hold your arms out," he instructed after finishing Caius’s hair.

Taking Caius’s long, slender arms, Damien carefully dried them. Once both arms were done, he moved on to Caius’s chest.

"Ha!" Caius let out a small laugh.

"Ticklish?" Damien asked.

"Nah," Caius replied, smiling. "Just thought it felt kind of nice."

Damien couldn’t help but grin at the response.

Moving on, he dried Caius’s stomach and back before reaching the trickiest area—his waist. They’d already had a minor spat about it in the bath, where Caius had declared, "You dare disobey the boss?" Resigned, Damien tackled the task with as much detachment as he could muster.